Art, Wisdom, and Wonder: Designing a Pathway for Art Museum Social Prescriptions to Combat Loneliness and Enhance Well-being
Degree type
Graduate group
Discipline
Subject
Well-being
Public health
Art prescriptions
Loneliness
Positive psychology
Awe
Wonder
Wisdom
Social connection
Relationships
Art and humanities
Positive humanities
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Grant number
Copyright date
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Related resources
www.paulatoledo.ca
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Contributor
Abstract
Human beings have innate needs for relationships. Empirical evidence underscores that these needs are so strong that in the absence of building a social network, a person can succumb to a range of life-threatening illnesses associated with being lonely. With loneliness reaching epidemic levels, it has become a serious public health issue. Fortunately, a holistic healthcare solution called social prescribing is emerging globally. Social prescribing bridges clinical care with social care so that primary care providers can refer non-clinical patients to community-based resources and social activities. This paper will highlight the empirical evidence surrounding the effectiveness of social prescribing and art-museum social prescriptions as a solution to combat loneliness and enhance well-being, while highlighting how art, wisdom, and wonder can be instruments to facilitate social connections. An evidence-based application plan is designed to reinforce the likelihood that art-museum social prescriptions are adopted so that positive outcomes relating to well-being can be achieved. This capstone proposes a well-being pathway facilitated through the SocialWell Collective, an overarching resource with an educational curriculum and training by positive psychology practitioners to scaffold, support, and facilitate the operationalization of social prescriptions.